Forever Young by Maura He slowly opened his eyes. The alarm's wailing was unrelenting. He rolled onto his side, burying his head in the pillow, hoping it would just go away. Maybe if he closed his eyes, sleep would come and he could be blissfully unaware for a little while longer. The high-pitched beeping made him cringe like nails on a blackboard. It was something he could never adjust to. It was so annoying it was the only way he could wake up most days. But he wasn't going to let it win today. Not yet anyway. He reached his hand blindly for the snooze button. His fingers found it without difficulty, as if they wanted to put an end to the sound as much as his head did. The room fell silent again. He took a deep breath, feeling his body relax. He pulled the blankets up higher over his shoulder. The weather was changing. The mornings were much cooler than they had been. Now warm and content, he gave himself permission to go back to sleep. Before he had time to dream, the wailing was back. He reached and shut it off once and for all. That problem solved, he lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling. He had a sinking feeling. He woke up like this almost every day for weeks now. He was on a ship that was going down. At first he had hope that it would stop taking on water, or he would be able to get on a lifeboat. But as time went on, it became painfully obvious that he was going down with the ship. He was stuck on it, as sure as if his feet were glued to the deck. And today would be the day, the day the ship would slip under the water, never to be seen again. He ran his hand through his hair and smiled a crooked smile. Maybe it wasn't as bad as all that. He began to take an inventory of all his blessings. He had his health, good friends, a good career, and money in the bank. Soon, he could add "all the time in the world" to do whatever he wanted. True, things were different. He went to bed earlier. He had to be selective in what he ate and when. His body complained more when he asked too much of it. But it was no different than anyone else. He had to admit when he looked in the mirror, he was better off than most. So why be so upset? He ran his finger over his chin, mulling it over. He had an epiphany. Instead of fighting it, instead of treating it like it was the end of the world, why not laugh and face it with a positive attitude. Sure there would always be the ones, that were in a better spot, but there were also those that were worse off. He wasn't going to go through the day like he was attending a funeral. He was going to a party! The biggest party he ever had. He was going to surround himself with all the people he cared about and let them know how grateful he was that they were sharing the ride with him. It was amazing and he was going to treat it that way. Today John Gage was 60 years old! |